Vegan Stuffed Christmas Mushrooms

These marvellous bite sized morsels are packed full of festive flavours and nutritions. The woody flesh of the baked mushrooms combined with the sweet cranberries and nutty quinoa are offset beautifully by the sharpness of the lemon dressing and salty crisp of the sage. All in one mouth watering bite.

If you have a vegan guest at the christmas table, why not use the filing of this recipe to stuff a portobello mushroom or butternut squash?

Makes: 35- 40 Preparation time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the stuffing

150g Cooked Quinoa, you can buy this pre cooked or cook to packed instructions

For the dressing and assembly

Method:

Make the stuffing mixture:

Add a good dash of olive oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add your garlic and diced shallots, allowing them to gently soften.

Once softened add the sage and spinach, and season well.

Continue to sauté until the spinach wilts. Now add the chopped cranberries, nutty quinoa and a dash of sherry vinegar, releasing the aromatic flavours of the stuffing.

Set the mixture aside to cool. Whilst you prepare the mushrooms for baking.

Prepare the mushrooms:

Preheat the oven to 190°c and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Make sure your mushrooms are dry, then using a teaspoon, carefully stuff each mushroom generously with the filling. You can use your finger tips to ensure the stuffing is filling any gaps.

Sprinkle with the crushed pistachios, reserve some for serving. Place in the preheated oven for 15 – 18 minutes.

Whilst the mushrooms are in the oven, make your dressing.

Make your dressing

In a small mixing bowl, add half a clove of garlic (crushed) and season with salt and pepper, muddle this all up into a paste before adding in the lemon juice, followed by the olive oil. Mix with a fork until well combined.

Prepare the crispy sage

Pick small sage leaves to top each mushroom and set aside some kitchen roll to put the leaves on when you have finished frying.

Place a medium sized frying pan over a medium heat and pour enough olive oil for shallow frying ( just enough to cover the leaves).

Once hot place the leaves into the pan, make sure they are not overlapping. You may have to do this in two batches. Fry for about 1 minute, then gently remove the leaves from the pan and place them on the kitchen roll. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt and set aside until they are needed.

Assembly

Once the mushrooms are finished baking, remove them from the oven and drizzle lightly with the lemon and garlic dressing.

When just cool enough to handle ( one minute or so) gently transfer the mushrooms onto the serving board.

With care, place one crispy sage leaf onto each mushroom.

Dress the board with another drizzle of the lemon garlic dressing, as well as the remaining chopped pistachios.